The Sign Read: "Ashes and Prayer"

Here is an extremely cool story from The Lutheran Magazine, about Lutherans who decided to head out into the public square and make a difference. On Ash Wednesday they set up in New York City's Union Square Park to offer ashes and prayer to anyone seeking God's blessing. I love the end of the article:

"By the end of this blessed day, our small church had anointed and prayed for more than 350 people. In the church, at the town square, on the street, and even in a local pub, seven of us offered the light and love of Christ to all. We prayed with Christians, Muslims and Buddhists. We felt God's power among us and through us, bringing healing, hope and possibility.

"As one of our team members came up from the subway in Brooklyn on his way home, he ran into a neighbor who spotted his forehead. Pointing to the ashes, the neighbor asked, "How do I get me some of that?" So he wiped ashes from his own forehead and anointed his neighbor.